Summer hols done and dusted and you’re already dreaming of the next jaunt? A couple of friends have mentioned that they’ve recently given Forest Holidays a whirl for family breaks and were hugely impressed. I’ve written about them before but thought I’d prod your memory in case you’re now pondering an autumn or spring getaway.

Basically you stay in self-catering tranquil cabins, sleeping 2-10 (and some dog-friendly) in beautiful British woodland. There are 10 UK locations, including Cornwall, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Norfolk, Argyll and – new for this year – Snowdonia.

Snowdonia. Not a bad view to wake up to in the morning.

The latter site, with just 16 cabins near the river, looks especially gorgeous. There are plenty of nearby mountains to hike up and ancient castles to explore before you plonk the kids in front of a screen (bad parent, moi?) and sink into the hot-tub with a glass of something fortifying.

And while all the settings may be rustic there’s definitely no roughing it with the accommodation – alongside those delicious hot-tubs are chic bathrooms, underfloor heating and wood-burners. Nice, eh? Sure beats a Eurocamp chalet, I reckon.

Each site has mile after mile of woodland tracks for you to stroll along or bomb down on bikes. And there’s a Forest Ranger at every site too (think a less annoying Bear Grylls) who can offer everything from basic survival skills tuition such as building a shelter and foraging for food (“no, not those mushrooms, darling!”) to guided hikes and mini-beast hunting.

With outdoors-y holidays having a major moment right now (the Japanese ritual of forest bathing, which you can try out at their Blackwood Forest site, is a huge trend) so you can rest assured not only will you emerge all hale and hearty from all that fresh air and exercise, you’ll be totally cool too. Which is important, obvs.

Sold? Us too, which is why we’ve begged, wailed and co-erced Forest Holidays for some VIP treatment. So Muddy readers will get a nice early check-in (always handy so there’s no lurking around at reception killing time), and a lovely 5% off if you take a holiday by 30 June 2019. Just enter the code MUDDY when you book online. And don’t worry, there’s no need to thank me (er, no, go on, thank me).